Liquid refrigerating and dispensing apparatus



A. E. SMITH 1,811,215

LIQUID REFRIGERATING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS June 23, 1931.

Filed Jan. 25,.1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aden Z1 $272127? June 23, I931.$M|TH 1,811,215

LIQUID REFRIGERATING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1929 3Sheets-Sheet 2 J gum mica 2 /4de2z EJ mif/Z dub: we 11 A. E. SMITH June23, 1931.

LIQUID REFRIGERATING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25. 1929 3Sheets-Sheet 3 .4622 ESmff/z 6km neg Patented June 23, 1931 mun- STATESPATENT QFFl-CE Anna E. sm'rn, or oomzrmzeus, oino, ASSIGNOB TO THE :0.n. nnme'na SANITARY MFG.

- co, or COLUMBUS, onro, A conrommron or 0310 LIQUID REFRIGERATING ANDDISPENSING- AIPIPARA'J!'CI'S Application filed January 25, 1929. SerialNo. 835,055.

This invention relates to mechanically refrigerated liquid coolingunits, and has particular reference to an improved unit designed for thedispensing of cooled or chilled drinking water, the unit beingparticularly adapted for service in schools, public buildings, factoriesor other public or semi-public laces or buildings where such drinkinountains or units are frequently used an 1 wherein it is necessary toconstruct the unit so that it will withstand the hard and severe usageto which it is placed both efliciently and economically.

In the operation of drinking fountains or units of this type a veryconsiderable amount of water is provided at the outlet faucet or nozzlein excess of that required by those using the fountain. Particularly isthis true when the outlet device is inthe form of go a bubbler or nozzlein lieu of the ordinary drinking glass or cup. Heretofore it has beencustomary to permit this excess or sur plus cooled and chilled water toflow from the receptor basin into a waste outlet leading to a suitablepoint of discharge. It is a primary object of the present invention toutilize this cooled waste water for the purpose of increasing theefficiency and economy of the apparatus by employing said water topre-cool the incoming fresh water,

through heat interchange, before the incoming waterreaches the maincooling chamber of the unit, wherebythrough such pre-cooling theincoming water is deprived of some of its heat so that the maincoolingapparatus of the unit will have its work correspondinglylightened It is another object of the invention to lowing thepre-cooling of the incoming water, for the purpose of pre-cooling theliquid refrigerant before the latter is per mitted to expand in a boileror cooler which forms a part of standard mechanical refrigerationsystems.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction, combination of elements and arrangement of partshereinafter further utilize the cooled waste water, fol-- through saidunit, whereof the upper parts are broken away as indicated by the line44 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5+5 of Figure4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates" asubstantially cubical casing of the liquid cooling unit to which qthepresent invention is applicable. The base of this casingis formed toinclude a horizontally extending bottom wall 2 upon which is mounted astandard type of mechanical refrigerating system of the type utilizing afluid refrigerant gaseous at normal atmospheric temperatures andpressures.

The system includes the usual compressor 3 which is operated by anelectrical motor 4 mounted on a horizontally extending. supporting wall5 arranged within the base of the casing 1. v The armature shaft of themotor is provided with a pulley over which passes a belt 6 which leadsto an en larged pulley wheel 7 fastened to the operating shaft 8 of thecompressor 3. The refrigerating system further provides the usualcondensing coil 9'and 10 arranged in the compressor compartment of thecasing and arranged adjacent to a plurality of louvers 10, through whichair is drawn from the exterior of the casing to pass over the outer'walls of the coil 9 for the purpose of lowering the temperature of thecom pressed refrigerant which passes though said coil followingdischarge from the compressor 3. The motor 4 has its operating shaftequipped with a fan 11 by means of which a forced circulation of air ismaintained through both the compressor and motor compartments, theheated air being discharged through louvers 12 formed in the wall of thecasing 1 adjacent to the fan 11.

After passing through the coil 9 the liquid refrigerant enters areceiver 13 formed in the bottom of the compressor 3 and then flows byway of-avalve regulated pipe line 14 to a coil 15 which is situated in acontainer 16 located in one corner of the water cooling compartment 17of the casing. The container 16, as shown in Figure 3, consists of asubstantially cubical box of sheet metal so shaped as to receive thehelical coil 15 through which the cooled refrigerant is adapted tocirculate, while passing through the pipe line 14. The container 16 isadapt-v ed to receive the cooled waste water discharged from thedrinking fountain of the device, in order that'through heat exchange thewater immersed coil 15 will deprive the liquid refrigerant of some ofits heat, in ad dition to the heat removed by the action of the coil 9,with the result that when the liquid refrigerant is discharged into theexpansion unit or boiler 18 it will possess an operating temperaturesufliciently low so that the subsequent expansion of the refrigerantwill result in securing a more effective drop in the temperature of theliquid medium in which the water unit is immersed.

Above the motor compartment there is arranged a horizontally extendingwall 19 upon which is placed a circular tank 20 formed to include spacedinner and outer metallic walls separated by a body of heat insulatingmaterial such as cork composition, the said insulating material beinindicated by the numeral 21. The tank 20 includes cylindrical side wallsand circular horizontally disposed top and bottom walls, which define anenclosed chamber insulated from exterior temperatures. Within thischamber of the tank 20 there is arranged the boiler or expansion unit 18of the refrigerating system, in which unit the liquid refrigerant ispermitted to expand as usual from liquid into gaseous form and whichexpansion results in the absorption of heat from the medium in which theunit 18 is situated. Through thermostatic regulation, common torefrigeration systems of this character the motor 4 is operated atintervals to effect the operation of the compressor 3, which functionsto withdraw the refrigerant in gaseous or vaporous form from 'the boilerunit through the lpipe 18 and to again compress and liquefy t e same forrepeated use. The walls of the boiler or expansion unit are preferablyof thin sheet metal, and the interior of the tank 20 contains a liquid,such as water or brine, the latter being maintained at a relatively lowtemperature by the absorption of heat through the action of the boilerunit.

Arranged within the tank 20- and immersed in the liquid body, indicatedat 22, is a coil 24. This coil. receives the drinking water to becooled. Prior to passing through the coil 24, however, the drinkingwater enters the casing by way of the supply line 25, and thencirculates through the coil 26, situated in a liquid receiver 27, whichcorresponds in construction to the container or receiver 16. Thereceiver 27 is situated within the casing 1 to one side of the tank 20and is adapted to contain the cooled waste water removed from thereceptor basin 28 formed in the top of the casing. It will be observedthat the receivers 16 and 27 rest upon removable or sliding door plates29, formed in connection with the wall 19, which plates facilitate theremoval of the receiver from the casing.

The surplus water which accumulates in the basin 28 is discharged fromthe latter by way of an outlet connection 30 arranged within the casing1, said connection terminating in a vertically extending pipe 31disposed centrally within the receiver 27, the open lower end of thepipe 31 being spaced from the bottom of said receiver. Thus the cooleddrinking water which has not been used flows first into the receiver 27where it pre-cools the drinking water which passes from the line 25through the coil 26. The heat interchange thus set up results inlowering the temperature of the drinking water and conversely in theraising of the temperceiver 27 into the container 16 where it is furtherused for the purpose of lowering the temperature of the liquidrefrigerant. The waste water is then discharged from the casing by wayof an outlet line 33 which leads to a sewer connection or other point ofdlscharge.

After the water has been pro-cooled by the coil 26 it. passes to thecoil 24 where it isv additionally andfinally cooled by being subected tothe'relatively low temperatures of the liquid cooling medium 22 disposedin the tank .20. The drinking water then passes under main pressure to abubbler, faucet or other form of valved outlet connection 34 situated inthe basin 28. Flow of the drinking water through the bubbler isregulated by a control valve 35 disposed or projecting exteriorly formanual operation through the conical top wall 36 of saidcasing. Thiswall is preferably conical to prevent the undesired or unnecessaryplacing of foreign .ObJGCtS thereon.

To prevent the salt in the brine from settling to the bottom of the tank20 and to secure a better cooling eflect of the brine an agitator 37 isplaced near the bottom 0 the tank and mounted for rotation with avertical shaft 38. The shaft 38 has its upper end equipped with abeveled gear 39 which meshes with a similar gear 40 of a shaft 41journaled for rotation on the top of the tank 20. Connected to the outerend of the shaft ll is a pulley 42 over which a belt 43 is trainedleading to a pulley 44 carried by the operating shaft ,of the motor 4:.In view of the foregoing description and taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, it will be seen that the present inventionprovides a very compact and highly efficient type of a mechanicalrefrigerated drinking water dispenser. The construction has theadvantage of operating most economically for the reason that the workperformed by the refrigerating system is absorbed to a maximum degreeand waste and other conditions tending toward inefficiency areeliminated.

While I have described in detail what I consider to be the preferredconstructional embodiment of my invention, nevertheless,

it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention iscapable of considerable mechanical variation without departing from thespirit and principles thereof as said invention has been set forth inthe following claim.

YVhat is claimed is:

In a liquid refrigerating and dispensing apparatus, a casing formed toinclude a plurallty of superimposed compartments, louvers formed in onewall of the lower of said compartments and in the opposite wall of theintermediate compartment, a compressor unit in said lower compartment, atank situated in said upper compartment, an expansion unit in said tank,a connection between said expansion unit and said compressor, means forcirculating a liquid to be cooled through said tank, means situated atthe top of said casing for dispensing said cooled liquid, a motor unitin said middle compartment, said motor being positioned with itsdriveshaft at right angles to said louvers, a fan on one end of said driveshaft and adjacent said louvers .for causing air to circulate throughsaid lower and intermediate compartments, means carried by the oppositeend of said shaft for driving said compressor, and an inwardly extendingflange secured to the wall of said intermediate compartment forsurrounding said louvers and said fan.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

e ADEN E. SMITH.

